Texas Stops Helping Poor Families Pay Their Electric Bills
Lite-Up Texas, a program that offered electricity discounts to hundreds of thousands of poor Texas families over the years, has run out of money. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Texas Working With Truckers in Fight Against Human Trafficking
During a visit to San Antonio on Thursday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton discussed a partnership with truck drivers in the state's efforts to combat human trafficking. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during a press conference about fighting human trafficking in Texas. The event took place Sept. 1, 2016, at the San Antonio Police Department Public Safety Headquarters.]()
Credit: Darren Abate for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Lawmakers Learn Details of Ride-Hailing Laws in Several Other States
As Texas lawmakers consider filing legislation next year related to ride-hailing companies, they learned Tuesday that more than 30 states have passed laws calling for some level of regulation of companies like Uber and Lyft. Full Story
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![Ginger Goodin, a senior research engineer and director of the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M, testified before the House Transportation Committee on Aug. 30, 2016.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Attorney General Sues Waller County Over Gun Ban at Courthouse
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Waller County over its ban on guns at its courthouse. The suit, filed Monday afternoon in district court in Travis County, centers on a provision of Texas' new open carry law. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during a May 25, 2016, press conference.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
A Conversation with Hinojosa, Guerra and Canales (Video)
Full video of our Aug. 26 conversation with state Sen. Chuy Hinojosa, D-McAllen, and state Reps. Bobby Guerra, D-Mission, and Terry Canales, D-Edinburg. Full Story
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Rich Schools Hopeful Houston ISD Could Topple Robin Hood Plan
Texas has deemed an increasing number of schools as property-wealthy, requiring them to give up a share of their local tax dollars to help buoy poorer districts. Full Story
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State Representative Calls for Suspension of Texas' STAAR Exam
A state representative who has passed legislation aimed at reeling in Texas’ standardized testing regime is calling on the state to ditch required STAAR exams while it “tries to iron out STAAR’s many kinks.” Full Story
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![State Rep. Jason Isaac, R-Dripping Springs, on the floor of the House on May 15, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Auto Title Companies Sue Texas DMV Over New Fee Limit
Eight title service companies filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, saying the department’s service fee limits could put them out of the business. Full Story
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![Fry Auto Title Service in South Austin.]()
Credit: Qiling Wang / The Texas Tribune -
"Why Are You So Angry at the Railroad Commission?" Texas Lawmaker Asks Reviewers
State lawmakers on Monday considered a host of recommendations to reshape and rename the Texas Railroad Commission, a powerful agency that oversees a host of oil and gas activities but not railroads. Full Story
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![Texas Railroad Commission Chairman David Porter speaks during a Sunset Advisory Commission hearing in Austin on Aug. 22, 2016.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Growing Zika Threat Prompts New Calls for Medicaid Expansion
Advocates for the uninsured are hoping the threat of Zika will spur Republican leaders to consider a massive expansion of subsidized health care to the low-income Texans they say are most vulnerable to the disease. Full Story
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![Aedes aegypti mosquitoes can transmit the Zika virus, which has been linked to birth defects, to humans. Officials say there have been no cases of mosquito-to-human transmission in Texas.]()
Credit: Erik F. Brandsborg / Flickr -
Texas Department of Criminal Justice to Request Budget Cut Exemptions
On Thursday, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice presented a legislative appropriations request to its governing board that offered $28 million in cuts. Officials added that they would seek an exemption from further cuts. Full Story
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Credit: Rob Crow -
Conservative Lawmaker Battling to Stop a Texas Execution
State Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, a staunch conservative, is trying to stop the upcoming execution of Jeff Wood, who was sentenced to death even though he killed no one. Full Story
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![State Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, is hoping to stop the upcoming execution of Jeff Wood.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Massive Health Data Warehouse Delayed Again, A Decade After Texas Pitched It
Texas health regulators are starting from scratch in designing a project to store massive amounts of data — after spending millions of dollars trying to roll out a version that’s now been scrapped. Full Story
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![Charles Smith, executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, testified Aug. 15, 2016, before the House State Affairs Committee on contracting procedures.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Analysis: Texas Legislator Wonders if a New School Tax Might Bring Less Pain
State Rep. James Frank, R-Wichita Falls, wrote to his constituents about school finance and used these phrases along the way: statewide commercial property tax, consolidated funding districts, and statewide property tax. Yikes. Full Story
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![State Rep. James Frank, R-Wichita Falls.]()
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Anti-Abortion Advocate's Group Receives Women's Health Grant
A group led by an anti-abortion advocate received $1.6 million in state funding from a program recently created to help women find health care services paid for by the state. Full Story
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![One of the six exam rooms at Haven Health Clinics in downtown Amarillo Monday, Dec. 9, 2013. The clinic provides services for women in the 26 county region of the Texas panhandle.]()
Credit: Stephen Spillman -
Inside UH's Political Push to Join the Big 12
The University of Houston has been burned before when it comes to the politics of college sports realignment. This time, its supporters are lobbying the state's top politicians for some help winning an invitation to the Big 12. Full Story
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![Football players practice at TDECU Stadium at the University of Houston on Aug. 28, 2015.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Attorney Wins Democratic Nod to Replace Rep. Borris Miles
Attorney Shawn Thierry on Saturday clinched the Democratic nomination to replace state Rep. Borris Miles, D-Houston. Full Story
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![Houston attorney Shawn Thierry has been nominated to replace Borris Miles in state House District 146.]()
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In Fight over Surprise Medical Bills, Some Lawmakers Target Insurance Regulators
Lawmakers are trying to find a way to prevent surprise medical bills, while doctors, insurance companies and patients argue over who is responsible for them. Now, some lawmakers are pointing fingers at the state's insurance department. Full Story
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![Ed Hagan at his home in Dallas, Texas on August 5, 2016.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill -
Texas High Court Carves "Monstrous Loophole" for Government Secrets
McAllen taxpayers cannot find out how much their city paid Enrique Iglesias to sing at a holiday concert, and that's just one example of the fallout from a Texas Supreme Court decision that is shielding many business secrets from the public. Full Story
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Credit: The Sunlight Foundation -
Texas Prisons Ponder Cutting $250 Million
With the 2017 state budget dance approaching, the Texas prison system is following instructions to cut 4 percent from its spending. Will that mean closing prisons and releasing more nonviolent inmates? Full Story
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![Texas Department of Criminal Justice Central Prison Unit in Sugar Land, TX. Amid budget cuts, Texas is closing a prison unit for the first time. The historic Central Unit will close at the end of August.]()
Credit: Justin Dehn